Dendrobium nobile Winter daytime

[linda_shel]

I understand that Dendrobium nobiles like a cool period over winter but do they need higher daytime temperatures?

Question on temperatures.....I grow in my house which does not get cool overnight. The other option is the basement which is cooler than the house. It is well insulated, but unheated, and has T5 lights - I flower my cooler growing Dendrobium kingianums down there over the winter. The minimum down there would be 12C(53F), but daytime temperatures would not get very high.

What would you suggest? Maybe a couple of months down in the basement in Jan-Feb to give them the cold nights or should I move them down for a longer period. Any suggestions gratefully received.

[11Orchid126]

They like it cool day and night. I would keep them in the basement. I keep mine in a very cool west window. In the winter it's downright cold, and they bloom their fool heads off. Den nobiles can stay outdoors here until Thanksgiving, even though we get our first frost in mid-October.

[kmarch]

I think your nobile-types would do well with your kingianums. I have some kingianum species, kingiangum hybrids and my nobile-type all growing right next to each other. Water is the only difference in their culture.

[MariahK]

ok since I just bought my first two Dends, and Well ok 1st how do I know what type I have and second if they do require more cooler temps can anyone give me a range? I just wnat to know where I should place them?

[kmarch]

MariahK,

Can you post pics of the plants/flowers? If so we can probably tell you wich type they are. Or you could go to the Orchid Photo Gallery click on "Search This category" on the right side of the page, and type in "Dendrobium" then browse the photos there to see if you see anything that looks like your plants.

[jay]

I don't have any Dends either, and sometimes wonder what classifies a Nobile versus a Kingianum, or any other type for that.

jay

[adespo]

I have six Dendrobiums and live in south FL. I read from Jerry's thread to cut back on the water and to stop feeding them. They also need cool days and nights? Will my outside temps be cool enough? I could put them inside but it is very dry and very cold. I have a very small house and a very big swamp cooler I would be afraid it would be to cold.

[fred]

jay
here in Australia kingianum is known as cool growing Dens
phal-types are warm growing Dens

here in Tassie I dont have any problems growing Kingianums with phal type Dens they grow well in summer but need heat in winter.

[MariahK]

Ok one is called, D Bobby Messina Red this one is a medium plant
and the other is, D Bangkok Fancy this is the smaller one and probably wont bloom for a year or two

I recieved both from a friend who said she "kills" orchids and please take them. lol I guess I should have read up on Dends but thats what you area ll here for!!

Here are pics

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by fred

nobile-types are warn growing

Fred, I think I dissagree. I and everyone else I know who grows then (3-4 people) grow nobile-types cool just like kingianums, not warm. They need the cool in order to bloom and i believe they are generally thought of as cool growing Dendrobiums.

All Forum Readers, for clarification regarding the terms used to indicate temperature conditions, it's probably worth pointing out that the terms "warm," "intermediate," "cool," and 'cold" refer to specific temperature ranges for orchids.

warm = 80-90F day; 65-70F night (25-30C day; 18-20C night)
intermediate = 70-80F day; 55-65F night (20-25C day; 12-18C night)
cool = 60-70F day; 50-55 night (15-20 day; 10-12C night)
cold = can tolerate less than 50F at night (less than 10C at night)

Depending on the geographical area one lives in, some or all orchids may or may not be grown "with heat" e.g. in a home or heated greenhouse, but growing "with heat" or "outdoors" etc., etc. isnt' what determines whether an orchid is intermediate, warm, or cool growing. It's the plant's temperature requirements that determines that.

[fred]

Quote=Kmarch]Fred, I think I dissagree. I and everyone else I know who grows then (3-4 people) grow nobile-types cool just like kingianums, not warm. They need the cool in order to bloom and i believe they are generally thought of as cool growing Dendrobiums.


do you honestly think they survive in temperatures like we have here 32F and less

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by fred

all I can say to that is kevin
come to Tasmania and see if you can grow them. do you honestly think they survive in temperatures like we have here 32F and less

Let me clarify. I know Tassie is cold, near and below freezing at times so in order to keep your nobile-types from being killed off you need to give them a little heat in the winter. But the fact that you have to give them a little heat doesn't make them "warm growing" orchids. A nobile-type still needs the 50F (10C) or so temps, which makes them a "cool growing" orchid. In other words, it's not what part of the world you're growing them or whether or not you have to give them some heat in the winter to keep them from freezing that makes them warm, intermediate, or cool growing, it's what the plant wants/expects.

In Michigan where i used to live all orchid growing is done with heat at some point in the year, yet that doesn't make the Draculas, Masdevallias, or nobile-type Dens grown in Michigan "warm growing" orchids.

See what I'm getting at? When orchid people talk about growing warm, intermediate, cool, or cold they're refering to ideal temp ranges for those plants not whether they're using heat in the winter. Make sense?

[jerrymeola]

Nobile Dens are about the hardiest plant you can grow.

They will do well from 32 degrees to 100. Mine get the extreme all the time. I grow all of them outdoors year round

They like as much sunlight as you can give them. I have grown them in full Florida sun (11,000 foot candles) without shade and they accepted it well. I have flowered them in my shade house under 65% sun screening also.

They only need about one month of cool under 50% nights in order to develop flower buds. It is not critical when the cool period happens. A late season cooling will just mean flowering later in the year.

Hawaii pre-chills Nobiles this month for flowers in November December when normally blooming is Jan to March in Hawaii and Feb to April in Florida.

Linda for you in Canada I recommend - the easiest care is to put them outside the first month that you can trust night temperatures to stay above freezing. Flowers should then come a couple of months later. The basement will work if you want flowers earlier, but give them as much light as you can. They can take full Canadian sun year round.

[jerrymeola]

Jay

Names are confusing because you try to make a meaning out of them. Scientist hate all the common names as meaningless. Hobbyist then try to use a name to apply conditions to a much larger group of plants.

Nobile (nobile-type) is in the commercial trade given to the group of Dendrobium that are hybridized from Dendrobium nobile, which is characterized by flowers blooming from the stem, being semi-deciduous. It then is often extended to other Dens with the same growing characteristics.

Den. kingianum is a popular Australian native orchid. That is why you see it mentioned so often with all the Australian members we have on the forum.

This does emphasis one thing I would like to pass on. Species orchids like kingianum and species Den nobile have specific growing habits.

Hybrids from the same plants have some of the original characteristics, but the purpose of hybridizing is to add desired characteristics to the new plant.

As a result, they are more tolerant to variety of growing conditions then species. There is no reason for a hybridizer to reproduce a plant that is hard to grow. He picks the easy to grow hybrids.

[MariahK]

Ok we seem to have gotten off track, but if someone could look 8 posts up at the pics and tell me what kinds I have and the proper care for them that would be great

[KenFL]

I have lots of Dendrobins here is south FL. Keep them in my slat house all the time. We do get a few cold days here in the winter time

[kazjak]

Whether they're warm growers or cool growers... It's supposed to dip down to 44F tonight.. Should I bring in my Phal type Den?

[Tobi]

Originally Posted by kazjak

Whether they're warm growers or cool growers... It's supposed to dip down to 44F tonight.. Should I bring in my Phal type Den?

Since the preferred minimum night time temp for Phal types are 55 F, I would
say yes